September 2007 — Hardware
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A vRoom With a View
"When I talk about technology, globalization is an equal part of that discussion because technology is key in connecting students," he says. "We are teaching what we are charged to teach, but with a global perspective."
But not every project is global. NCVPS students also are using the vRoom tool in their studies, Moncrief says."Students in the music appreciation course were able to meet with a capella group Ball in the House to discuss music standards," Moncrief says. "Through blogs and discussion, the band responded to the students' questions. They had a wonderful, rich dialogue; they were able to connect with that band even though students were scattered throughout the 100 counties of North Carolina."
"One of the projects on the horizon will enable students to talk to a curator in Egypt and focus a camera on different artifacts as [the curator] is speaking."—Tom Moncrief, Union County Public Schools
Moncrief says it's not difficult to get business and other community leaders to take part in the programs. "Because they recognize the importance of this emerging technology," he says, "professionals are happy to take the time" to interact with the students and contribute to the teaching experience.
Such virtual learning initiatives are a growing trend in K-12 education. The Sloan Consortium's survey of school district administrators, published last March, estimated that 700,000 K-12 students participated in an online course during the 2005-2006 academic year.
That number is more than double the amount put forth by the National Center for Education Statistics in its 2002- 2003 report, "Distance Education Courses for Public Elementary and Secondary School Students", which set the number at 328,000. Granted, the majority of the students in the new survey took traditional distance learning classes, but Moncrief says collaborative technologies are opening new paths for learning via the virtual classroom.
"One of the projects on the horizon will enable students to talk to a curator in Egypt and focus a camera on different artifacts as [the curator] is speaking," he says. "We can't take a class to Egypt, but through technology, they are able to experience many of the same things.
"One of the things we've been talking about is how students are growing up in the digital age, and the internet is connecting them in a way that is so different from what we knew when we were students. It is our responsibility as educators to use that as an effective mechanism for learning."
Charlene O'Hanlon is a freelance writer based in New York.
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